The present invention relates to an improved sound bar type percussive musical instrument, and more particularly relates to an improvement in the holding structure of resonator tubes on a sound bar type percussive musical instrument such as a marimba.
In construction of a sound bar type percussive musical instrument such as a marimba and a xylophone, a number of sound bars, each tuned to a prescribed resonance frequency, are arranged side by side in the order of tonal pitch on a horizontal, rectangular base frame and each sound bar is associated with a resonator tube arranged below. When a sound bar is beaten with a mallet, a sound generated is increased in tone volume by resonance of an associated resonator tube. Such resonance is employed in order to enrich sounds in particular in the bass range, thereby enlarging the total tone range.
A line of resonator tubes are sandwiched by a pair of tube holders which extend laterally on a base frame. Each tube holder is detachably coupled at both ends to side walls of the base frame. Such a holding structure has a demerit that the middle section of the tube holder flexes downwards due to weight of the resonator tubes it holds. In order to reduce such flexion, it is proposed to form the tube holders from aluminium or the like. However, use of such a material cannot fully avoid undesirable flexion of the tube holders in particular when the number of resonator tubes is increased on a large size musical instrument. Such center flexion causes inter-tube variation in the gap between a sound bar and an associated resonator tube. In addition, such flexion induces vertical vibration of the tube holders which amplifies the above-described inter-tube variation in the gap. Presence of uneven gaps seriously mars resonance characteristics of the resonator tubes, thereby posing malign influence on tone quality.